Nikita Soni

Dr. Nikita Soni is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Illinois Chicago. She earned her Ph.D. in Human-Centered Computing from the University of Florida. Her research includes Human-Computer Interaction, Interaction Design, Computer-Supported Cooperative Work, and Child-Computer Interaction. She focuses on designing and testing computational applications that foster learning and creativity by understanding the mental models and natural interactive behaviors of children and adults. Her doctoral dissertation explored designing natural user interactions for multi-touch spherical displays to support learning and collaboration. Her work has been recognized in the HCI community, earning an honorable mention at the ACM CSCW Conference in 2021. Additionally, she developed a framework named TIDRC, providing concrete design recommendations for children’s touchscreen applications.

• 2021–Present·University of Illinois Chicago·Assistant Professor
  • Focused on research and teaching in Human-Computer Interaction, Interaction Design, and Child-Computer Interaction.

• 2016–2021·University of Florida·Ph.D.
  • Human-Centered Computing
• 2015–2016·University of Florida·Master’s (MS)
  • Computer Science
• 2011–2015·Jaypee University of Engineering and Technology·Bachelor’s (B.Tech)
  • Electronics and Communications Engineering